


reed & ben

by romanticalgirl



Category: Fantastic Four (Movieverse)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-14
Updated: 2013-04-14
Packaged: 2017-12-08 12:37:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/761380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romanticalgirl/pseuds/romanticalgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Originally posted 7-20-08</p>
    </blockquote>





	reed & ben

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted 7-20-08

Reed’s fifteen years old the first time he meets Ben Grimm. Ben’s in college and Reed’s about to be, and Ben has been charged with showing some punk kid around the campus. He’s not happy about it, Reed can tell, but he’s doing it, which is more than Reed can say for the other five kids at the other five campuses he’s visited in the past two weeks.

“So, you’re, what? Like a genius?”

Reed looks up from the statue in front of them and shrugs. “The tests say that, yeah. Right now, I feel like I’m some sort of leper.”

“But you’re not. I see skin from here, and it appears to be staying on your body.”

“Yeah, but…” Reed sighs and shakes his head. “Have you ever felt like a complete outsider? Even though you’re just as capable as everyone else, you don’t get the benefit of the doubt?”

“Yeah, kid. We all feel like that sometimes. You’re not going to rush a fraternity or anything, are you?”

“No.”

“You know how to respect people’s privacy?”

“Yeah.”

“All right, kid.” Ben shrugs and leads the way back to the campus office. “You can room with me.”

**

“You know what you need?”

Two hours ago, Sue walked out of Reed’s life and, given that he tests off the charts, Reed’s pretty sure it’s a rhetorical question on Ben’s part. Of course, he’s been wrong before. Not often, but it’s happened. “What?”

“You need a beer.”

“You remember what happened the last time I had a beer?”

“Hey, at least I made sure she was cute.”

“I nearly got arrested, Ben.”

“You nearly got laid, Reed.”

“I don’t need a beer. I need Sue to not hate me. I need…” He sighs and looks at Ben, perched on the stupid papasan chair that Sue bought and hated, and so now belonged to Reed. “Okay. I need a beer.”

“You need to get laid.”

“How about…” Reed sighs again and stands up, deciding that fate needs tempting every once in a while. “How about I start with a beer?”

“Works for me.”

**

Alicia is good for Ben, and standing up against Victor helped as well, but Reed knows that Ben has problems with who he is and how he looks. It’s not just that he’s different, although Reed understands that aspect of it, but it’s as though, out of all of them, he’s not even human anymore. He’s relegated to being a “thing” – not a person, just some construct. 

Sue’s been good about helping him find suits and other clothes that work for him, and Reed’s spent as much time as possible making and acquiring objects that can withstand Ben’s daily usage, but it doesn’t change the fact that Ben is what he is. A man of rock, even his internal organs petrified. 

Still, he’s Reed’s best friend, so Reed knows he has to do something for him, he’s just at a loss as to what. If it were Johnny, he’d find him a hooker…not that Johnny actually needs help finding women, but Reed’s relatively certain that sex cures all of Johnny’s ills. If it were Sue, he’d buy her flowers and chocolates and beg for forgiveness, since most of what bothers Sue seems to stem directly from whatever it is that Reed’s done. But Ben is both more complicated and more simple than either of the other two, which means Reed doesn’t have a single idea of what to do to fix any of it.

Ben opens the door and looks at Reed as if he’s grown another head, which could very well be a side effect of the cosmic radiation they haven’t uncovered yet, so it’s a valid concern all the way around. Still, he refrains from feeling his shoulders for another neck stump. “Is there some sort of emergency, boss?”

“No.” Reed shakes his head. “And don’t call me that.”

“You’re the leader.”

“Yeah, well, so was Mickey Mouse. No one ever called him boss. Are you busy?” He’s relatively certain he shouldn’t have just admitted to watching The Mickey Mouse Club, but at least it was only to Ben. 

“No. C’mon in. You want a beer?”

“Yes.”

Ben stops mid-stride, which is a pretty impressive sight. “What?”

“Sure. I’ll have a beer.”

“You hate beer.”

“I know.” Reed smiles. “But you like it, right?”

“Well…yeah.”

“So I’ll have a beer.” Reed grabs the remote, specially adapted for Ben’s large fingers. “Is there a game on?”

“Yeah. Cubs and the Mets.”

“Cool. Who are we voting for?”

“We’re…” Ben stops and smiles and nods. “We’re voting for the Mets. I’ll go get the beer.”


End file.
